There were 11 prize winners at the annual celebration of big business from across the North East
One of the North East’s most popular technology companies has been named North East Business of the Year at the region’s top business awards. Cramlington-based Dynamics Transmission took the top prize at the North East Business Awards, an annual celebration of North East business organized by the Journal and its sister paper in Teesside, the Gazette.
Founded 30 years ago, Transmission Dynamics has grown from a specialist engineering consultancy to a global technology business serving customers in over 80 countries. The success follows the strongest financial year to date, driven by international demand for these technologies in a number of critical industries.
The company was one of 11 winners on the night, along with Middlesbrough’s Cognitive HealthTech, which won the Start-Up Award, and Barnard Castle’s William Smith Group 1832, which was named Best Place To Work. There were also individual awards for Laura Edgar, owner of Aura Infection Control, who was named Business Person of the Year, and Rising Star award winner Henrietta Newble, from AnFiTest.
And the prize for Outstanding Contribution to North East Business award went to Hugh Welch, of Newcastle solicitors Muckle LLP, who was praised for combining excellence on the job day with a deep-seated commitment to making the North East a better place.
The event, held at Hardwick Hall near Sedgefield, was introduced by Journal editor Graeme Whitfield, who said: “I’ve been doing this welcome speech for a few years now and I’ve noticed that I keep saying the same version every year.
“I said how great it is to see so many brilliant North East companies in the room, and I said it’s even more brilliant that it happens when the situation for business is difficult now. I said that after the Liz Truss mini-Budget, and I said it was around the cost-of-living crisis and I said it after the rise in the National Insurance company that is like your pressure.
“I kept thinking that one year I’d be here and not have to say that, but this wasn’t that year.
“So here we go again: you’re doing great things. And you’re doing great things despite the headwinds locally, nationally and internationally.”
The awards are supported by key partners Sage, Newcastle University partner partners and category partners Azets, Made Smarter, Northumbrian Water, Oliver Wyman, Rust-Oleum and Tees Valley Combined Authority.
The winners are:
- Northeast Business of the Year: Transmission Dynamics
- Best Place to Work: William Smith Group 1832
- Business Person of the Year: Laura Edgar
- Business for Good: Binding Solutions
- Growth Award: North Neptune
- Innovation Award: OnlyCat
- Made in the Northeast: Ford Aerospace
- Rising Star: Henrietta Newble
- Small Business of the Year: Burger-Drop
- Start-Up Award: Cognitive HealthTech
- Outstanding Contribution to North East Business: Hugh Welch, Muckle LLP